Rob Williams - The 5 Drivers of Mixing

The 5 Drivers of Mixing
By Rob Williams
2013 Rob Williams
ProSoundFormula.com
All Rights Reser ved
2 Rob Williams The 5 Drivers of Mixing Copyright 2013 ProSoundFormula.com
Contents
Introduction 4
How this can help you to get better mixes 6
1. Balance 7
2. Fix 9
3. Enhance 11
4. Shape 14
5. Space 17
Mixing is an Iterative Process 18
Using the 5 Drivers in a mix 20
Reasons Come First 22
Is this REALLY how the PROS mix? 23
Closing Thoughts 25
The 5 Drivers Graphic Overview 26

Introduction
Obviously I dont know exactly where you are in your journey right now, or what you know
or dont know about mixing.
But Im willing to bet that mixing has caused a LOT of confusion and frustration for you, and
that having more clarity, understanding, and direction while mixing would really help you
to get better sounding mixes at the end of the day.
You want your songs to sound as GREAT as possible.
The better they sound the more people will enjoy them the more fans you get and
thats just the beginning.
Even if you know virtually nothing about mixing yet, Im sure youre well aware that
MIXING is a MAJOR KEY to making your songs sound great.
The mix can MAKE or BREAK the record.
The BIG problem: When it comes to mixing, most people have NO idea;
a. What needs to be done in a mix
b. When, where, and WHY to use various plugins or processors
If this is you, DONT feel bad!
For YEARS (even AFTER studying sound) I stumbled through mix after mix never totally
sure what I was supposed to be doing or not.
The other problem is that all the things we typically turn to tutorials, tips, tricks,
techniques, new plugins or gear, etc. NONE of these really go to the root of this problem,
because without understanding WHY youre doing something in the first place, youre
really just GUESSING arent you?

This book (and the videos that go with it) are not going to teach you all about the tools and
techniques used in mixing (dont worry, thats still coming :)
What they are going to do is help solve the two main problems I just mentioned above by
teaching you the very CORE of mixing the 5 things that are the essential drivers behind
EVERY great mix.
These 5 elements drive EVERY single decision made in a mix, and are thus aptly named:
The 5 Drivers of Mixing.
The 5 Drivers are:
1. Balance
2. Fix
3. Enhance
4. Shape
5. Space
These are the ONLY 5 things we are doing (or SHOULD be doing) in any mix. Period.
Youll find that EVERY single mixing technique fits into one, or more, of these 5 Drivers.

The 5 Drivers form the basis for EVERY SINGLE DECISION that is made in a
mix
How this can help you
to get better mixes
Its quite simple really Every decision we make starts out with a QUESTION, thus at
least half of mixing is about ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.
But how do you ask the right questions when you may not even be exactly sure what
youre supposed to be doing??
This is where the 5 Drivers come in.
The 5 Drivers form the basis for EVERY SINGLE QUESTION, and thus the starting point for
EVERY DECISION, that we make while mixing.
This framework will help you to understand everything that we should be doing during a
mix, and make sure that you cover ALL your bases.
In summary, the 5 Drivers will:
1. Give you a FRAMEWORK to use while mixing your tracks as well as some of the
KEY QUESTIONS to ask for each of the 5 Drivers.
2. Bring you greater clarity and understanding, and make sure that you dont leave
anything out during a mix, by showing you the ONLY 5 REASONS we do
anything in a mix.
3. Help you to understand the REASON and PURPOSE behind every plugin or
process you choose to use in a mix.
Half of mixing is simply learning to ask the RIGHT QUESTIONS The 5
Drivers gives you a framework to mix in by focussing your attention on the
ONLY 5 REASONS we do ANYTHING in a mix
1. Balance
The Balance is the very ESSENCE of mixing, and long before all the fancy gear we have
today came along, mix engineers were known as Balance Engineers and their job was
simply to BALANCE the levels of the various instruments.
Balance does NOT mean to make everything the SAME level... Its about choosing the
focal points of the song and setting the various levels in a way that best brings out the
emotion, energy, and message of the song.
Often we can get so caught up in all the different gadgets and plugins we have at our
fingertips, that we forget that BALANCE is the most fundamental part of mixing.
Seems simple though doesnt it?
I mean, all we have to do is turn the faders up or down! Right?
Well, anyone whos spent more than a couple of hours trying to get the various
instruments in a song to balance knows that its not as easy as it first seems. (Im sure this is
bringing up memories of late nights staring at your mix session wondering whether it will
EVER sound right! ;)
There are MANY reasons why its so difficult to get the levels right, and a lot of it has
NOTHING to do with level at all each of the other four drivers all play a KEY role in
getting the various instruments to sit in the mix, and well touch on this in the coming
pages.
But for now, the main thing to remember is that if the mix doesnt sound well balanced, the
songs never going to sound as good as it could.
Its not just the main instrument levels that need balancing, we also need to check ALL
inputs and outputs as well as any sends, returns, and busses.
Fortunately digital audio is MUCH more forgiving than analog gear, and so as long as its
not clipping, you dont need to worry about the levels too much.
However, keep in mind that most plugins are dependent on the level of the input, so
making this too soft or too loud can change the way that they process the signal.
Throughout the mix, Im constantly questioning whether the balance is right or not, here
are some of the questions you can ask:
Questions to ask
!
Whats too loud?
!
Whats too soft?
!
What cant I hear?
!
Can the vocals and lyrics be clearly heard?
!
Are the main focal points of the song loud enough?
Primary tools for Balancing:
!
Faders / knobs
!
Automation
Balance does NOT mean to make everything the SAME level... Its about
choosing the focal points and setting the various levels in a way that best
brings out the emotion, energy, and message of the song
2. Fix
The fix could be the MOST important aspect in making sure that your mix sounds
PROFESSIONAL.
Think about it, one of the most defining factors of a professional production is that you
cant find anything WRONG with it.
There are so many different ways to mix and produce a track, and we may like certain styles
and dislike others, but its this LACK of error that universally brands a production as
professional.
The flip-side is equally revealing.
It often takes just one or two things that give away an amateur recording and make you
instantly lump the entire track (and artist!) into the demo category.
Mixes where theres nothing glaringly wrong can be just as bad.
Ive mixed countless songs where just one or two bad tracks make the entire mix
sound off.
A good analogy for this can be found in the kitchen
Lets say you were to bake a cake hypothetically of course If you were to add just ONE
ingredient that is off, itll make the ENTIRE mix taste a little funky.
It may be really subtle, and most people wont say; the eggs in this cake are off, theyll just
say; I dont like this cake!.
In the same way, most people will probably not pick up that its the backing vocals that are
singing out of tune, theyll just say; I dont like this SONG.
So it goes without say that we want to make EXTRA certain that weve fixed anything that
may sound wrong, out of place, or simply distracting in the mix.
Here are some of the questions to ask and things to listen out for
Questions to ask:
!
Is something sounding too harsh?
!
Do any tracks sound too boomy?
!
Does the mix sound muddy?
!
Do any tracks hurt your ears when you turn it up?
!
Is there something out of tune?
!
Are there timing issues?
!
Are there any noises? Clicks, pops, hums, etc.
Primary tools for Fixing:
!
EQ
!
Gate
!
Autotune
!
Noise reduction
!
De-esser
!
MUTE BUTTON (Dont underestimate the power of this tool!)
When making a meal, just ONE ingredient thats off can make the WHOLE
dish taste off... the same principle applies to mixing
3. Enhance
An enhancement is simply ANYTHING that makes the song sound better.
Q. How do you know whether youve enhanced something?
A. You listen to it and say That sounds cool!
Q. But what if someone else doesnt like it?
A. Well sorry for them!
Seriously though this is the most SUBJECTIVE part of mixing. EVERYONE has a different
opinion of what sounds best, and while there are certain boundaries, there really isnt a
right or wrong.
Dont you just hate it when someone gives you the whole Well theres really no right or
wrong way to do it so just do what sounds best ?!
I remember getting really frustrated by this because I DIDNT KNOW what a GREAT bass,
or vocal, or guitar or anything, was SUPPOSED to sound like in the mix, and so I didnt
know whether the enhancements I was making were right or not. Im sure youve had this
experience once or twice!
So whats the solution?
Well, unfortunately theres no quick fix for this, and it really just comes with time, practice,
and experience.
The good news is that this can be one of the most FUN aspects of mixing to learn.
Personally, the enhancement has always been my favorite part of mixing because you get
to transform an often bland sounding instrument into one that sounds GREAT.
This is also a LOT easier to learn than it use to be, the Internet is filled with tutorials on how
to enhance everything from drums to vocals in a hundred different ways, and its really just
a matter of trying different methods and experimenting until you find what works for
you.
Keep in mind that what may be an enhancement in one song, could sound TERRIBLE in
another song.
For example, making a vocal sound really edgy and aggressive may work great in a rap or
rock song, but would RUIN a light acoustic ballad, so youll obviously need to pick the
enhancements that work best for the particular song that youre working on.
Here are a couple of questions we can ask when enhancing the mix:
Questions to ask:
!
What instruments could be made warmer?
!
What could be brighter?
!
Could something be more edgy or aggressive?
!
What could be bigger?
!
Would analog gear or emulation work well in this track?
!
What effects could enhance this song? Reverb, delay, chorus, flanger etc.
!
What could enhance the overall mix?
Primary tools for Enhancing:
!
EQ
!
Compressor
!
Limiter
!
Expander
!
Analog gear or analog emulation
!
Any effects Reverb, delay, chorus, flanger
You may find it useful to enhance any given instrument while listening to it in solo this is
fine, AT FIRST.
However, once youve made the general adjustments and got it close to where you want it
to be, its ESSENTIAL that you tweak it in CONTEXT of the MIX.
This brings us to the next Mix Driver, SHAPE.
An enhancement is simply ANYTHING you do that makes the song sound
better
4. Shape
Its all very well making the various instruments sound great by themselves, but the fact is,
it doesnt matter how good an instrument sounds in solo, all that matters is how it
sounds in the final MIX because this is all the end listener your fans, get to hear.
So once weve made the individual instruments shine on their own, we need to make sure
that they sound great in CONTEXT of all the other instruments.
The primary tool used for shaping is an EQ, and what were trying to do is take away
UNNECESSARY frequencies that are clashing with other instruments in the mix.
The rule of thumb is: The less important it is, the more you can take away.
The opposite is also true the main elements in the mix, such as vocals for example, will be
shaped the LEAST.
Take a look at the following image illustrating the frequency spectrum of an acoustic guitar
(red) and bass guitar (blue):
The image on the left is BEFORE any shaping has been done. You can see the bass guitar
has more low end energy while the acoustic has more top end, however, theres quite a bit
of overlap happening there.
The problem with this overlap is that it can lead to a muddy and cluttered sounding mix,
as everything is competing in the same frequency range, and theres a lot of redundancy.
For example, a bass guitar generally doesnt have anything useful over 10 kHz.
An acoustic guitar doesnt need loads of low end if you already have a bass guitar
performing that role in the mix.
And this is only TWO instruments, can you just imagine whats going on when you have
30 or even 50+ different tracks all competing?! A mess!
So by using just ONE simple high pass filter on the acoustic guitar, and ONE low pass filter
on the bass, you can see how weve minimized the overlap on the righthand side image.
The bass is now performing its primary role BASS, and the acoustic is most dominant in
the upper frequency ranges. This is a prime example of shaping two instruments to
COMPLEMENT each other and blend together in the mix.
Now that you have an idea of what shaping is doing in the mix, what are some of the
questions we can ask?
Here are some of the main ones:
Questions to ask:
!
Does it sound like things are clashing in the mix?
!
Does the mix sound muddy?
!
What can I take away that wont be missed in the mix?
!
Are some tracks masking other instruments?
!
Are there several tracks competing in the same frequency range?
!
Are there instruments getting in the way of the vocals?
!
What sounds too thick or full in the mix?
!
Does something sound like its dominating but shouldnt be?
Primary tools for Shaping:
!
EQ
!
Dynamics
It doesnt matter how good an instrument sounds in solo, all that matters is
how it sounds in the final MIX
5. Space
Creating Space is about giving your mix a sense of DEPTH and DIMENSION.
Have you ever listened to a song and just marveled at how each instrument sounds as if it
has its own space in the mix? Of course, this is more noticeable in certain styles than
others, but theres just something about professional productions that sound almost 3D.
It doesnt just sound like all the instruments are on top of each other, theres things out to
the left and right, and you can hear that the drums are further away than the singer.
This is what were going for when creating a sense of Space in the mix.
Here are some questions we can ask:
Questions to ask:
!
Is there depth in the mix?
!
What kind of space/s will work well for this song?
!
Do I want the space to sound larger than life or very close & intimate?
!
Do I want a wide or narrow stereo image?
!
How can I use pan and reverb to create more separation in the mix?
Primary tools for creating Space:
!
Pan
!
Reverb
!
Delay
!
EQ
Creating Space is about giving your mix a sense of DEPTH and DIMENSION
Mixing is an
Iterative Process
After spending several MONTHS trying to break mixing down into a series of steps that
could be followed, I finally came to the conclusion that its simply not possible.
Mixing isnt a set of steps or actions that you take and then its done, mixing is really an
ITERATIVE PROCESS.
What does this mean?
The simplest definition I could find states:
Iteration is the act of repeating a process with the aim of approaching a desired goal, target or
result.
The goal: A great sounding mix.
The process: The 5 Drivers.
So what were doing is working through these 5 Drivers repeatedly as we get closer and
closer to the result were after.
Each time you go through them you could think of that as an iteration.
It doesnt matter how many times you go through them, the point is, it takes multiple
cycles or ITERATIONS, to get the mix to where we want it.
The reason for this is that EVERY action performed affects EVERY other instrument in
the mix.
Turning the level of one instrument up is effectively the same as turning ALL the other
instruments down, and making one instrument brighter makes all the other instruments
sound relatively more DULL Does that make sense?
This is why its impossible to set and forget anything, and why we need to improve the mix
in layers, with each set of changes bringing us closer to that end result, a great sounding
mix.
Mixing is an ITERATIVE PROCESS To iterate simply means to REPEAT a
process (The 5 Drivers) until you get to your desired result (a great mix)
Using the 5 Drivers
in a mix
So if the 5 Drivers arent steps, then surely the order doesnt matter right?
Well, actually they are in a specific order for a reason, but the order is only really important
on your first iteration (the first time youre going through the 5 Drivers in a mix).
Lets have a look at a typical example of a mix and how wed use each of the 5 Drivers:
BALANCE is first, because the first thing we generally do in a mix is set a GENERAL balance
just to hear everything and to get a sense for the song (especially if youre mixing someone
elses track).
The balance is ALWAYS changing, almost every plugin you put on affects the levels and so
youll automatically keep adjusting this as you move on through the mix.
Next we want to FIX anything that may sound wrong or distracting. Trying to make the mix
sound good when there are a bunch of problems is simply counter productive.
Once weve done that, we can then start to ENHANCE each of the individual tracks. By
using various processors and effects we can really bring out the best in each instrument.
(Again, the balance will have changed with each instrument youve enhanced, and so youll
be adjusting the levels as you go.)
Now that weve enhanced the instruments individually, we must SHAPE them so that they
blend and fit together in the CONTEXT of the mix.
The reason Shape comes after Enhance is because when we enhance an instrument we
may change everything from the dynamics to the frequency range, and so it would be
counter productive trying to SHAPE the various instruments to fit together if theyre
not at least CLOSE to the final sound that were going for.
Finally, we need to create Space. This is where were giving the mix both depth and width.
The reason Ive made this one last, is because Ive found many people (including myself!)
try to use pan and reverb to create separation in their mixes, but this is like given Aspirin to
someone with a broken leg It may disguise the problem initially, but its not fixing the
SOURCE of the issue which is that the instruments havent been SHAPED properly to fit
together.
Once you start panning and adding reverb, it can make it a lot more difficult to shape the
instruments effectively, so I prefer to mix in mono, and without too many effects, until the
mix starts taking shape (pun intended).
Trust me, if you can get your mix to sound great in mono, itll sound REALLY GREAT in
stereo.
So now that weve gone through each of the 5 Drivers once, well simply keep going
through them, each time asking the kinds of questions Ive listed for you in this book.
As mentioned, the order isnt important after the first round, and its simply a matter of
doing whatever needs to get done.
As the mix evolves, new issues and opportunities will come up.
For example, the vocals may have sounded fine initially, but once you start enhancing
them by adding some top end for example, they may sound too sibilant. This wasnt an
issue when you went through Fix for the first time, but you should catch the problem as
you go through a new iteration.
Reasons Come First
One last thing, you may be wondering what to do if something falls under more than one
Driver For example, adding reverb to a vocal could;
a. FIX: Help to disguise a pitching problem Obviously its not as effective as
autotune, but it does help.
b. ENHANCE: Make the vocal sound bigger and simply nicer to listen to.
c. SPACE: Give the vocal a sense of depth in the mix.
The fact is, many things could be attributed to more than one of the 5 Drivers, and this is
perfectly fine.
BUT
Understanding WHY youre using something in the first place DOES affect the tools
you choose and the decisions you make.
In the example we just used above, the TYPE of reverb you choose to use may very well
differ depending on the PRIMARY reason youre using it, here are some examples:
a. FIX: A medium to large reverb with not much pre delay will work best to disguise
tuning issues. A longer reverb tail helps to smear the notes together making any
pitching issues less obvious.
b. ENHANCE: A bright sounding plate reverb with about 50 ms pre delay often
sounds great on vocals. The pre delay serves to keep the vocal upfront in the mix
while still adding some nice sustain.
c. SPACE: A medium sized room may help to push the vocal back into the mix
slightly and make it sound as if its in a similar space to the band. The plate reverb
mentioned above may not create this sense of space as the pre delay will make
the reverb sound more like an effect than an actual space.
In each case, the REASON for using the reverb changes the type of reverb we use.
Do you see now why its SO important to understand WHY youre using a given
plugin or process? :)
Is this REALLY how
the PROS mix?
Now you may be thinking to yourself Well this is a cool idea but is this REALLY the way
the PROS mix records?? (And if you werent thinking of this before then Im sure you are
now!)
Firstly, everyone has a different style of mixing, and even the mix engineers who are the
best in the world have VERY different approaches and even OPPOSING opinions on many
aspects of mixing.
But the fact is, EVERY SINGLE PERSON doing EVERY SINGLE MIX, is using the 5 Drivers in
one way or another, whether they realize it or not.
Actually thats not true but every GREAT mix MUST include the 5 Drivers.
EVERY great mix must be balanced.
EVERY great mix must have any problems fixed.
EVERY great mix must be enhanced to bring out the best in each of the instruments.
EVERY great mix must be shaped so that the various instruments blend together.
EVERY great mix must have a sense of space, of depth and dimension.
The only difference is that the pros have had so much experience that theyre doing this
automatically and unconsciously.
They also tend to jump between many different things all at once, because theyve just
done it so many times that they know exactly what theyre looking for.
So as you become more experienced, you may just throw up all the faders and start
balancing them, then fix one or two things, then start to enhance and shape different
instruments while at the same time creating a sense of space in the mix you get the
picture.
This simply comes with experience, and you WILL get there!
But when starting out Id recommend using this framework as a guide as it will help you to
focus on the different aspects without getting overwhelmed.
This is no different from learning to drive a car especially if it was a stick shift! At first it
seems impossible youve got to steer, work the clutch, change gears, apply the brake,
press the accelerator, AND keep checking in the mirrors all at the SAME TIME??!
Yet anyone whos been driving for a while can recall an experience where they drove from
A to B and were so caught up in their thoughts that they couldnt even remember how
they got there! Has that happened to you?
This is because its just become so ingrained that its second nature to you, and you no
longer have to think about it.
So the point is, although this may seem really difficult at first, with time it DOES get easier, I
can promise you that.
Closing Thoughts
While I fully realize that this is nowhere near a comprehensive guide to mixing (Im still
working on that!), I hope that this has at least given you some CLARITY and DIRECTION as
to what you need to be doing in your mixes.
I wouldnt be surprised if this book has brought up more QUESTIONS than answers for you
and thats the point, because asking the right questions is always the first step in
improving.
If nothing else, now that you know the essential 5 CORES of mixing, you can be confident
that youve at least covered all your bases when doing a mix.
I encourage you to try using this framework and the questions listed as you go through
your next mix.
The fact is, youre ALREADY doing most of these things, but this will just help you to
become more intentional about it, and also make sure that you dont leave anything out.
Remember, every trick or technique, every plugin or piece of gear, every action taken while
mixing, should ALL start with a REASON, and the 5 Drivers are the basis for all those
reasons.
Without a clear reason and purpose, the decisions we make are RANDOM and no one
wants a random sounding mix Unless youre Napoleon Dynamite perhaps.
Finally, I just want to say that its very easy to get caught up in all the technical stuff and
different things you think youre supposed to be doing while mixing.
At the end of the day, its really just about having fun and making some cool sounding
music dont forget that :)
My hope is that this framework will help guide you through your mixes so that you can
focus on whats most important making your songs sound great.
I wish you all the best with your music, and Ill talk to you soon,
Rob
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